Improvement in car-couplings



S. H. THMAS, W. A. & M. E. HEARN.

Car-Couplings. -N0 152,054. Pate-ntedlune,1874.

L V. ESAN. W Im/ other purpos( s.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL H. THOMAS, IILSON A. HEARN, AND MARTIN E. HEARN, OF DYER STATION, TENNESSEE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 152,054, dated Junepl, 1874; application filed May 9, 1874.

To all whom it Imay concern Be it known that we, SAML. H. THOMAS, WlLsoN A. HEARN, and MARTIN E. HEARN, of Dyer Sta-tion, county ot' Gibson and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and and useful Improvements in Self-Acting Gar- Gouplings, of which the following is a specification: j

The nature of our invention consists in the construction and arrangement of a self-acting car-couplin g, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawing', Figure l is a horizontal section of our car-coupling, showing the interior construction of the same. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same through the line a: nr, Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 shows certain detached parts thereof.

A represents the bumper of a railroad-car, constructed as usual with an interior chamber and a flaring mouth, B. top of the bumper is made removable, so that the interior parts can be readily gotten at when necessary in case of breakage or for At the inner end ot' the mouth B on each side is pivoted a jaw, D, which extends backward into the draw-head, and said jaws are pressed inward toward each other by means of springs a. af. At the points where the jaws D D are pivoted are formed shoulders b b in the drawf head, against which the front ends of the jaws will abut when any strain is upon their rear ends, so that thereby the strain is taken ott from the pivots. In the bottom of the chamber in the draw-head is formed a suitably-shaped recess for the reception of a slide, E, the front end of which is enlarged, and has two inclined sides, d d, as shown in Fig. 3. the under side, near the rear end of each jaw,

Ais a headed or other pin, c, which two pins bear against the inc-lines d d of the slide E by the action of the springs a a uponthe jaws. The rear end of the slide E is passed into a hole in the rear portion of the bumper, and in the same is inserted a spiral spring, i, the action of which throws the slide forward. The body of the slide E is slotted for the passage of a wedge-shaped key, G,which also passes through a Aslot in the bottom of the draw-head or bumper, and the shank of which passes up through a hole in the part C of the top of the draw-head. The upper end or shank of the key G is to be attached to a A part, O, of thev Upon y suitable lever or other device, so as to be raised from either side of the ca r or from the top. H represents the coupling-bar, the end of which is formed with a spear-shaped head, h, so as to make shoulders w The bar II entering the mouth ot' the bumper, the head h will spread or separate the jaws D D until the head has passed their inner ends, when the springs a a throw the jaws inward so as to catch on the shoulders w 00, which completes the coupling of the cars.

To uncouple the cars the key G is raised, which forces the slide E toward the rear, and the inclined sides d thereof acting against the pins e c opens the jaws, so that lthe couplingbar can be withdrawn. throws the slide E forward again. Within the bumper is a spring, m, to act on the inner end. of the coupling-bar, and hold the same horizontally, so as to enter the opposite bumper. The front end of the bumper is provided with holes y for the usual couplingpin, if, in case of breakage, it should become necessary to use such.

Then our coupling is used on two adjoining cars the coupling-bar is provided with a head, h, at each end; but when one car has the ordinary coupling one end of the couplingbar has an elongated slot, n, to form a link.

The coupling-bar may be straight or crooked, as required, according to the height of the cars.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The jaws D D, pivoted and abutting against the shoulders Z) I), and provided with pins e e, in combination with the springs a a, and the slide E, having inclined sides d d, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, with the slide E, of the.

spring 2 and wedge-shaped key G, substan tially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention we hereunto affix our signatures this 28th day of April, 1874.

- SAMUEL H. THOMAS.

XVILSON A. HEARN. MARTIN E. HEARN. Witnesses:

ABNER M. GRIER, J. E. STILEs. j

The spring t' 

